TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Asian Volleyball Confederation announced on its Facebook page that a change in host country was made for the Asian U20 Men's Volleyball Championship on Tuesday (Jan. 16).
The event was moved to Surabaya, Indonesia, where it will take place July 23-30. It was originally supposed to take place in Taipei, but China objected "on political grounds, to its ability to participate in the competition."
The Iran Volleyball Association said in a statement, “One of the critical themes of discussion was the decision made by China Taipei to withdraw from hosting the 2024 Asian Youth Championships. The reason behind the withdrawal was China’s objection, on political grounds, to its ability to participate in the competition. Furthermore, the significance of being selected for the World Youth Championship was underscored as a topic of relevance.”
The Taiwan Volleyball Association has not commented on the matter. While the men’s tournament has been moved, no decision has been made on a related women’s volleyball competition.
China sent teams to Taiwan to compete in the 2016 Asian U20 Men's Volleyball Championship. Since the 2017 Taipei Universiade, it has not sent players to Taiwan for sports competitions.
Taiwan Volleyball Association Secretary-General Huang Kuo-kuang (黃國光) told CNA that his group would comply with the decision. Planning is still underway for the Asian Women's Volleyball Challenge Cup, he added.
The upcoming Asian U20 Men's Volleyball Championship serves as a qualifier for next year's U21 World Championships.
